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On the same conference call earlier this week in which it talked about its new rewards program, GameStop Executive VP of Merchandising, Tony Bartel, said that stores currently experiencing Wii and PlayStation 3 shortages probably won't find relief very soon. While the retailer is always bugging Sony and Nintendo for more units, Bartel said that GameStop "could sell a lot more hardware than what we have on both the PS3 and Wii platform," and that situation probably won't change until early summer of this year.

He did say that the Wii is due for a re-supply first, but he believes that both Nintendo and Sony are "still scrambling to catch up from the surge" of the last holiday season. But a shortage like this isn't unprecedented -- as we get closer to summer, we'll probably see new inventory appearing on shelves, ready to go home to a caring gamer.

Splinter Cell: Conviction is having a little premiere on April 1 at ten GameStops across the US -- no, this is not an April Fool's joke; we made sure. Before the game hits stores (and the head ... and heads) on April 13, a premiere event will take place in Los Angeles on the high holy joking day. GameStop will concurrently host "first-to-play co-op demo events" at select stores.

The LA event will take place at the Les Deux Nightclub in Hollywood. First-to-play sessions will occur between 2-6PM, prior to the "celebrity red carpet premiere" at 8PM. The event will feature the "Search for Sam Fisher" live interactive game, in which 15 attendees (21+) who attend the co-op event earlier in the day will be invited to participate. Grand prize is an "Xbox 360 Splinter Cell Conviction Special Edition Bundle and a library of Ubisoft Xbox 360 games."

The non-LA co-op demo events will be held from 9PM until midnight in Boston, Orlando, New York City (two locations), Denver, Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose, Dallas and New Jersey. Specific locations will be listed on GameStop's website or at SplinterCell.com. The first 100 attendees at each location receive a "free Splinter Cell Conviction beanie." Honestly, we have no idea what to say to that.

Rockstar sent along videos showcasing each of the Red Dead Redemption pre-orders currently available, and we just can't decide which one to go with -- they all look so good. You can see all three of them over on the game's website. Pre-ordering from Amazon, you'll remember, will get you a Golden Guns pack, pre-ordering the game at GameStop will nab you the fan-selected Deadly Assassin Outfit and ordering the game from Best Buy will get you the War Horse, which you can see in the video above.

Wait a minute -- we just decided. We're totally going with the horsie. His name will be Roger and we will hug him and feed him and dodge explosions and shoot bad guys from his back and it will be the awesomest. Roger is the best horse ever. He's tougher than any other horse!

We're usually pretty competent parsers of corporate quotes, but we may need some help on this one. Referencing the publisher practice of putting free DLC in new copies of games, GameStop boss Dan DeMatteo said on an investor call today that "we have learned that the second-hand user is a value-oriented consumer ... we don't believe that a $10 add-on piece of DLC is compelling to a used game buyer." So, they care about getting the biggest bang for their buck, but they just don't care about missing out on free things?

Here's another one: "Publishers can participate in our used business by offering add-on content for the most popular used titles, creating a win-win situation for publishers, retailers and consumers," he said, according to Gamasutra. Wouldn't the win for publishers and developers be to make money every time someone bought the game they made?

It may be that the statements are unclear, but it's also possible that we're just so unfamiliar with GameStop trying to be a team player that our primitive minds can't process it. Hard to say.

Ever heard of a French gaming chain named Micromania? Yeah, neither had we until this morning's GameStop conference call, where the game retail giant's CEO J. Paul Raines specifically cited the (GameStop-owned since 2008) franchise for its member loyalty program ("MegaCart") and the success it's had in Europe. "We believe that the loyalty program at Micromania drove some of the highest sales per store in Europe that we've seen, so we think it's a very effective program, and that's the base for what we added to our existing loyalty program here at the Edge," Raines said, confirming the rumored plan to add a customer loyalty system at GameStop. When asked about when the new loyalty program would start rolling out, Raines stated that it'll be arriving this May in "four markets" (which could be anything from entire regions of the US to specific states or anything in-between -- we've followed up for clarification).

So what can GameStop consumers expect from this new loyalty program? Not many details were given, but a few speculative ideas were offered. "Ours will have different rewards, it won't be purely a markdown program that gives you discounts once you reach a certain threshold," Raines said, adding, "It will also have unique rewards like tickets to shows and early entrance to midnight launch, etc." No mention was made of how this will effect those of you with current Edge card subscriptions, nor if this new rewards program will be separate altogether. We've contacted GameStop corporate for clarification and will update this post if we hear more, but for now you can read Raine's entire statement after the break.

GameStop made bank even in the bad economy. Reporting its fourth quarter and fiscal 2009 (ending January 20, 2010) results today, the retail juggernaut revealed it had $3.52 billion and $9.08 billion in sales during the quarter and full year, respectively. As for profits -- after taxes, depreciation, amortization, et al. -- the company earned $215.9 million for the quarter and $377.3 million for the year.

CEO Daniel DeMatteo noted it was the company's second highest earnings year, "in spite of the weak worldwide economic environment" -- no kidding. New software sales accounted for 41.1 percent ($3.7 billion) of the company's total sales, while the sweet recycled nectar of used games came in second with 26.4 percent ($2.4 billion) -- the rest was new hardware and "other." GameStop expects its earnings to grow 14 to 18 percent in the coming year.

Back in 2009, we spotted a couple of GameStop surveys asking customers about the Edge card and a possible new rewards program. According to Gamervision's sources, the new rewards program will go into effect "by the end of this year." As detailed in the aforementioned surveys (and corroborated by GV's sources), the rewards program is said to feature two tiers, "one for everyone, and one that can only be earned by frequent use of the basic card."

We contacted GameStop corporate for comment and were told, "We are in the process of evaluating loyalty opportunities for our customers. As this is a work in progress, we are not going to comment on speculation to changes to our Edge card program." While certainly not confirmation of any changes taking place by the end of this year, it does affirm that the company is still considering altering the Edge card at some point in the future. For now, though, a new "rewards program" seems to be little more than a germinating idea.

[Thanks, Mike]

GameStop might be worth roughly $3.27 billion, but if reports are correct, a group of folks at a private equity firm may be considering an offer of $4.94 billion (a 33 percent raise over the current, rumor-inflated stock prices) to acquire the publicly held game retailer. The Street is reporting that the rumors of a buyout have already raised stock prices by nearly six percent to $19.86 per share since just five days ago, as of this afternoon.

And those rumors could be seen as partially substantiated by the company's lackluster performance on Wall Street as a publicly held company. Sterne, Agee & Leech analyst Arvind Bhatia told The Street, "The company generates strong free cash flow and is not getting respect as a public company." A buyout of GameStop by a private equity firm could mean moving the company's public status to private, not to mention a possible management shakeup (among other things). We asked GameStop corporate for comment and were told, "We do not comment on speculation or rumor," so for now we'll just have to wait and see what shakes out.

There are plenty of reasons to be wary about buying expensive electronics over the internet. They could be forever lost to shipping accidents. You could have trust issues about purchasing items from faceless vendors. Or maybe you're just addicted to instant gratification. If brick-and-mortar transactions are your preferred M.O., then you'll be pleased to hear that the formerly Amazon-only 360 Elite Spring Bundle, which comes packaged with Forza Motorsport 3 and Halo 3: ODST, is now available at GameStop for $299.99.

We can't stress this enough -- this is by far the best Xbox bundle ever to hit store shelves, so we suggest picking one up if you still find yourself sans 360. There's no telling when the offer will cease to be ... offered, but if we were to wager a guess, we'd say "around the start of the next temperate season."

[Via Halo.Bungie.org]

Still looking for a reason to pick up Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker? Would a totally sweet camouflage bandana push you over the edge? GameStop hopes so: it's offering an exclusive camo bandana, reminiscent of something Snake might adorn his head with, as a pre-order bonus for the game. Wear this, and even if you're not playing on the amazing limited edition system, everyone will know that you're Peace Walking.

We have yet to confirm whether or not it grants infinite ammo to the wearer.

[Thanks, Aidan!]

If you've been holding out on buying an Xbox 360 for the last five years you live in Canada, you'll be totally psyched to hear that the Arcade bundle of Microsoft's console is currently on sale in for $130.

The Xbox Canada site lists the price drop for both Futureshop and Best Buy, though we also found it over at Amazon Canada and GameStop Canada. Get 'em while you can! We've followed up with Microsoft to clarify whether or not this is a permanent change for our Canadian friends, and, of course, if we'll be seeing a similar sale/price drop in the US.

That's right, folks -- Harmonix has just revealed that Green Day: Rock Band will be available for all come June 8 on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. Up to 6 players (3 mics; 3 instruments) will progress through the career of the trio, unlocking collectible images (more than 100, apparently) and some 40 minutes of "rare and unreleased" footage from interviews, outtakes and performances along the way.

As alluded to above, GD:RB will also sport the same vocal harmonizing feature that made The Beatles: Rock Band such a delight for mic hogs and comes loaded with 47 Green Day tracks, including "Brain Stew," "Jaded," "Hitchin' a Ride," "American Idiot," "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

Oh, and if you're looking to export these tunes, worry not: all 47 tracks are fully exportable to a console hard drive and playable in Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and the recently announced Rock Band 3. The export fee is $9.99 via Xbox Live or PSN. The export features is not available for the Wii system. Additionally, if you've picked up the six Green Day tunes already available as DLC, you can play them in the new game with added harmonies, "unique" visuals and more "exclusive archival material."

Green Day: Rock Band will be available as a standalone game for Xbox 360 and PS3 for $59.99, while Wii owners will get a bit of a price break at $49.99. A special edition Green Day: Rock Band Plus will also come to Xbox 360 and PS3 for $69.99 and includes fancy packaging, an "export" feature (we assume, a voucher to export the disc tracks to the hard drive) and the six previously released Green Day DLC tracks.

Update: The GameStop pre-order bonus for the standalone game is an export voucher (for Xbox 360 or PS3). Essentially, pre-order GD:RB from GameStop, and you can export all 47 tracks to your console hard drive for free.

GameStop has listed a 250 GB Xbox 360 hard drive for sale, priced at $130 and scheduled to release on March 23. When reached for comment, Microsoft declined to make a statement by the time of this posting. Checking with GameStop, the retailer wouldn't confirm the product either, but did tell us that the page featuring the 250GB drive "is not an error."

Microsoft had previously stated, like, only two weeks ago, that it planned to keep the larger drives tied to bundles. Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Product Manager Aaron Greenberg also told us at the time, "We're always evaluating." Clearly.

Update: GameStop has removed the listing. Additionally, tipster Matt V. (thanks dude!) reports that, on March 9, Amazon also briefly listed the 250GB drive dated for March 23 -- for only $59.99! Though the likely erroneous offer has since been removed from the online retailer, Matt says his order is still active and that Amazon has emailed him with a new estimated ship date of April 10. The plot thickens ...

[Thanks, Patrick]

Capcom's Monster Hunter Tri was a big focal point at yesterday's Nintendo Media Summit, but there seems to be a bit of confusion surrounding the demo disc shipping March 8. It turns out, that isn't the GameStop pre-order incentive it was made out to be. Instead, the demo disc will be free for all -- a GameStop pre-order will net you a card with 500 Wii Points on it.

As for getting the demo disc, you'll be able to walk into any GameStop location and grab one starting March 8.

You knew about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but now you can add "shooting bugs with Albert Wesker's giant handgun" to the list of inalienable rights. Capcom has just announced that, due to fan upheaval, Wesker as a playable character in Lost Planet 2 will be a bonus for everyone who buys the game, rather than for just those that pre-order at GameStop, as was previously announced.

It's not as if early birds are out of luck though. Pre-ordering at GameStop will now net you two multiplayer maps, "Helix" and "Back to the Island." The update from Capcom doesn't say as much, but we'd assume these maps will also be available for purchase as DLC, either on release day or soon after.